Adur and Ouse Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

The Adur and Ouse Catchment Partnership brings together a range of organisations, groups, agencies and individuals all committed to working together. Our aim is to work together to improve the water environment and surrounding landscape of our catchment for both people and wildlife. We have a shared vision which has been compiled as a management plan to enable us to work towards our objectives which are to:

  • ensure that freshwater and marine environments are clean, productive and biologically diverse
  • enable rivers to function naturally and are able to support a wide range of native species
  • meet the challenge to improve water quality and the demand for supply
  • promote and deliver natural solutions to flood risk management across the catchment
  • ensure community enthusiasm and knowledge is sought as part of decision making processes.Working in partnership enables us to bring together our diverse knowledge and experience to ensure we are achieving the maximum benefits in the most sustainable and cost efficient manner.

Brian Spicer (flickr)

Related websites

Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.

Catchment challenges

Current challenges identified by partnership

  • Pollution from waste water

    Water quality is severely impacted by high levels of phosphate from waste water

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Water quality is severely impacted by run-off from land and infrastructure due to agricultural activities

  • Physical modifications

    Fish passage is excessively restricted by in-channel structures

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Climate change will exacerbate many pressures on the water environment and it is critical we are resilient to this into the future

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Storm overflows are a significant cause of pollution entering the watercourses and we must find a range of solutions to alleviate this pressure

  • Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams

    Protecting rare habitats through integrate catchment management will facilitate nature recovery for many of our rare species

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    Supporting through information and evidence is critical to the success of nature recovery networks

  • Improved bathing waters (including inland)

    Recreational use of the water environment is impacted by the risk to human health from polluted rivers

  • Connecting communities with nature

    The more communities are engaged, the more likely we are to be successful in our aims

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from waste water

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

  • Invasive Non-native Species

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from waste water

Emerging challenges

  • Pollution from waste water
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Since 2016, the Adur and Ouse Catchment Partnership has undertaken a number of projects to raise awareness across the communities within it. A septic tank and phosphate information leaflet was sent to 6,000 homes mapped as being off of mains treatment. We have supported the design and installation of interpretation panels along a popular coastal walk, highlighting the importance of the marine environment to more than 1 million visitors each year, and further interpretation within the Adur Estuary to highlight the importance of salt marsh habitats. The partnership has formed sub-groups which focus on building larger scale projects such as those focused around coastal habitats, natural flood management and mitigating barriers to fish passage and has an exciting array of projects in the pipeline for the future.

Partnership development plans

The focus over the coming years is in raising the profile of the Adur and Ouse Catchment Partnership and diversifying its membership, both at a steering group and sub-group level. This will enable a wider range of stakeholders, from catchment wide to locally focused, to be engaged in decision making processes. We will continue to seek alternative funding to enable development and delivery of the catchment management plan.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Confident

    Enhancement/no deterioration measures in 2020-2025 Water Industry National Environment Programme

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Confident

    Managed realignment and creation of intertidal habitat, for example in the lower Adur tidal reaches

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Grant giving trusts and businesses
    Location
    Adur Lower

  • Confident

    Work with organisations, communities and landowners to increase water awareness and water efficiency in the catchment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage abstractions
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Confident

    Deliver the Slaugham to Ardingly Restoration project improving fish passage and reducing diffuse pollution

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Ouse from Slaugham to Ardingly Resevoir

  • Confident

    Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to mitigate/remove Invasive Non-native Species present in the catchment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Confident

    Complete a wide range of natural flood management interventions to mitigate the risk of flooding

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    Grant giving trusts and businesses
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Less certain

    Reduction in diffuse pollution from agriculture including pesticides through increased enforcement and engagement

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Identify and secure funding source and access to data
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Less certain

    Removal of in-channel barriers and increased habitat provision

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Identify and secure funding source including development of schemes
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Less certain

    Re-instating natural processes to enhance natural capital value within estuarine areas and the wider catchment

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding for idea development and installation, and metrics for ecosystem service benefits
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Less certain

    Increased understanding of the transportation of phosphate and sediment through our catchment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Identify and secure funding source, access to data, increased monitoring
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Less certain

    Restoration of kelp forests along the open coast to the west of the catchment

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Successful Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority Nearshore Trawling Bylaw
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Less certain

    Increasing the number of waterbodies approaching their near natural status

    Reason for measure
    Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Identify and secure funding sources including development and an increase in monitoring
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Wider water environment

    Increased understanding of the opportunities to build multi functional landscapes which mitigate climate change

    Reason for measure
    Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
    Delivery mechanism
    Landscape Recovery (ELMS)
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Wider water environment

    Take a strategic approach to the protection and enhancement of chalk streams

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
    Delivery mechanism
    WR Chalk - Chalk restoration fund
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

  • Wider water environment

    Target nature based solutions to preventing storm overflows through slowing flow into the drainage network

    Reason for measure
    Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Adur and Ouse

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: